Wi-Fi Alliance Targets New Homes For Total Connectivity

House-wide Wi-Fi coverage may become
standard in new homes thanks to a new design program from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The so-called Wi-Fi Certified Home Design Program aims to bring enterprise-level Wi-Fi systems into
the design phase of building houses.

“As Wi-Fi has become more and more ubiquitous, and connectivity in general, users are expecting a seamless connectivity
experience,” Kevin Robinson, vice president of marketing at the Wi-Fi Alliance, told the AI & IoT Daily. “Wi-Fi Home Design elevates the user experience by ensuring that Wi-Fi networks
in new homes meet connectivity, coverage and performance standards.”

Builders in the program design and configure Wi-Fi systems in each house to provide
complete coverage inside and extending to other areas, such as patios and garages. The idea is to create a turnkey network solution for home buyers that is ready to use when they move
in.

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Whole-home Wi-Fi coverage has been a focus of other brands as well.

For example, Samsung recently launched its Connect Home system centered
around connectivity and smart home device management, as the AI & IoT Daily reported at the time (Samsung Launches Smart Home Wi-Fi System).

That system creates a singular Wi-Fi
network by using strategically placed Wi-Fi units throughout the house. This is similar in principle to how a system would be configured in the Wi-Fi Home Design program by the home builders. In
Samsung’s case, the Connect smartphone app guides a homeowner in where to place the Wi-Fi units.

Controlling smart home products is a core component of both Samsung’s
Connect Home system and houses in the Wi-Fi program.

“Smart home is definitely a focus of our program,” the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Robinson told the AI
& IoT Daily. “The specifics of what vendor’s devices a builder might use or which voice control they chose to integrate into the home to provide what they feel is the best experience,
that all sits on top of a foundation of seamless, uniform, high-performing connectivity.”

The first Wi-Fi certified homes are set to hit the market next month
from national home-building company Lennar.

Along with full-home Wi-Fi coverage, Lennar plans to integrate Amazon’s Alexa voice control into its homes. Whether
that will come in the form of microphones and speakers directly in the walls or bundling an Echo-type device with the house purchase is unclear.

Amazon’s Smart
Home Services are also available to assist homeowners with the installed devices and systems, according to Lennar.

Other smart home options include Wi-Fi video
doorbells, Bluetooth door locks and wireless speaker systems. Lennar also says its homes will support Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem of connected devices and sensors.